Mumbai launches first detention centre for ‘illegal’ immigrants amid crackdown and rights backlash

Mumbai’s inaugural “sthandbadhata kendra” (detention centre) in Bhoiwada, central Mumbai, began operations on 26 March, housing around 40 Bangladeshi nationals awaiting deportation—nearly two years after its proposal.

The 80-capacity, two-storey facility with 20 rooms per floor, bunk beds, separate men’s (60) and women’s (20) sections, and basic amenities like food and bathrooms, is now managed by the Social Welfare Department. Maharashtra State Security Force handles internal security, with police outside. Detainees stay there briefly before border transfer.

It resolves prior issues where police held over 1,000 alleged Bangladeshis in station rooms in 2025 alone, as they faced no criminal charges. This year, nearly 400 have been detained by March-end (220 by Mumbai Police), though women’s overcrowding has forced some back to stations; officials plan adjustments.

Bureaucratic delays ended when Social Justice relented, after police noted detainees weren’t judicial custody cases. A permanent 213-capacity centre in Navi Mumbai is tendered but not yet open; two were approved in July 2024.

The post-Pahalgam 2025 attack nationwide drive across Gujarat, Delhi, Assam, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan has deported over 1,060 in 2025. Yet rights groups criticise it for targeting Bengali-speaking Muslims and Rohingya on ethnic/religious grounds, not verified status—citing hasty checks, hearing-less detentions, informal pushbacks, and mistaken inclusion of Indian citizens.